Teams announced for 2008 Giro d'Italia partenza

Former champions and key ProTour teams without invite

Organiser of the Giro d'Italia, RCS
Sport, has released the list of teams that will partake in the 91st edition
of its three-week race, departing from Palermo on May 10. Twenty-one teams
of nine men will take part in the Italian Grand Tour; notably absent from
the list are Astana (with Andreas Klöden and Alberto Contador), High
Road (Marco Pinotti) and Acqua & Sapone (Stefano Garzelli and Luca
Paolini).

In addition to ProTour Teams Astana and High Road, Bouygues Telecom and
Crédit Agricole did not make the cut. Under new 'special
calendar' rules agreed upon by the International Cycling Union (UCI)
and national federation representatives in Treviso, Italy, RCS Sport Events
Director Angelo Zomegnan was not subject to the ProTour rule that insists
that all of its teams be invited.

RCS Sport stated its respect for the biological passports agreed upon
at the anti-doping summit
in Paris last October. It stated that the selection criteria were based
on strict principles of "ethics, quality, international character
[and] the historical relationship with RCS Sport." Further, in its
press release it noted the "right to withdraw the invite at any moment."